Judge Brenda Penny has overruled Jamie Spears’ objections to his diminished role in his daughter Britney Spears’ conservatorship on Thursday (Feb. 11). Financial company Bessemer Trust will continue to have equal power over Britney Spears’ estate. This development in the ongoing battle to remove the singer’s father from her conservatorship comes after the recent New York Times documentary, Framing Britney, set social media aflame with support for the pop superstar, as many feel the 13-year-long conservatorship is an unjust power grab for Spears’ finances and personal freedom.
Spears’ bid to remove her father from the conservatorship was unsuccessful in November of 2020, but succeeded in changing his position from sole conservator to co-conservator with Bessemer Trust. The small victory comes after Framing Britney provided new insight on Spears’ wishes regarding her own conservatorship, in which lawyer Adam Streisand stated:
Britney was able to make the judgement, “Hey, I get what’s going on. I get that I’m not gonna be able to resist this conservatorship or avoid this conservatorship.” So that’s a pretty sound judgement. The second thing she said was “I don’t want my father to be the conservator.” That was her one request. She wanted a professional, somebody independent.
Streisand was removed from the case after the court decided Spears was incapable of choosing her own counsel. In 2008, Jamie Spears was named co-conservator with lawyer Andrew Wallet, who resigned from the conservatorship in 2019.
The latest court development came as public outcry against the conservatorship swelled, with fans, celebrities and even those close to Spears coming out in support of the #FreeBritney movement. Spears’ boyfriend Sam Asghari went so far as to call her father “a total dick” in an Instagram story on Tuesday, stating that he has “zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way.” Prior to the documentary, it was rare for anyone in Spears’ inner circle to comment on the conservatorship, with a majority of her family still remaining silent on the issue.
The news that Jamie Spears lost his appeal regarding Bessemer Trust being named co-conservator has taken Twitter by storm. Prentice Penny, best known for being the creator of the HBO series Insecure, revealed in a tweet that the judge presiding over the case is his mother, and voiced his support of her decision:
Also: Judge Penny is my ACTUAL mother. I could’ve told Britney’s dad: She don’t play. https://t.co/TSMHsUzk6y
— Prentice Penny (@The_A_Prentice) February 11, 2021
Further hearings regarding Spears’ case are set for March 17 and April 27.
